Reading encouraged to avoid ‘summer slide’

Published 2:04 am, Sunday, June 28, 2015

Now that summer is in full swing, educators are encouraging parents to make sure their kids read during vacation to avoid the so-called “summer slide.”

Kelly Durov, children’s services manager with the Park Ridge Public Library, said time away from the books can cause significant loss of academic skills. She recommends that parents find ways to keep their child engaged during the summer months.

“There has been research done that when children don’t practice reading over the summer, they lose their skills,” she said. “That’s what is referred to as the ‘summer slide.’”

According to Durov, most libraries usually provide summer reading programs, which can be extremely valuable for students. She says anything parents can do to encourage summer reading will be beneficial for children. And while it’s good to include educational books, Durov adds that summer should include fun reading material as well.

“That’s a great time to let kids explore their passions, especially as they get older,” Durov said. “Fourth-, fifth-, sixth-graders have passion for games and toys, and there’s wonderful books written about that. Summer’s a great time to give them that choice to be able to explore those things.”

Around the state, the Illinois Reading Enrichment and Development program helps develop and provide high-quality, low-cost resources and products to enable local library staff to promote reading.

Cindy Boehlke, the Jacksonville Public Library youth services director, said they offer reading programs for all age levels over the summer.

Currently, the library offers a summer program with the core idea of reading, but also offering different events and activities the stimulate a child’s mind.

Boehlke said children will received prizes for every five hours they complete, with the opportunity to be entered into the grand prize drawing.

“We don’t care what children read — books, a comic book, manga, magazines, or audio books — as long as they are reading,” Boehlke said. “If it

Boehlke said the library also offers a parent/teacher section for parents who want to use workbooks to help their child keep their skills up over the summer.

While the programs are usually educator or parent encouraged, Boehlke said soon the children become more invested in it.

“A lot of parents make their children read over the summer, but as the summer goes on, and as they are earning more prizes, there is incentive to keep going,” she said. “What we’ve seen is they might have to make their kids at first, but if its something they’re interested in, or if they get caught up in a series, you see more self-propelled interest.”

To sign up for the program, children can register with the youth services desk, where they will receive a sheet of paper to track the hours they read, as well as a list of other activities that will be available at the library.

The library offers a pre-K program, a kindergarten through sixth grade, teen and adult programs.

The program will end on July 31.

Boehlke said its these programs that help the children continue learning.

“”If you don’t use it, you lose it,” she said. “It makes use of your brain more than just sitting there and watching TV.”